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Definitive best size wheel and tire thread for Exige/Elise

105K views 282 replies 33 participants last post by  SL1DE 
#1 ·
I have searched and have had a hard time finding a solid answer on what are the best size tires and wheels to run for auto-x. I currently have LSS wheels on my Exige with spacers and I know I could run something much better for more grip. These sizes referenced should be for stock body only. This thread should hopefully answer some questions people have in the future.

Please format accordingly.

Elise:

Front wheel size and offset
Front tire size

Rear wheel size and offset
Rear tire size

Exige:

Front wheel size and offset
Front tire size

Rear wheel size and offset
Rear tire size

Thanks for ANY input! :UK:

Pic of my Exige attached just because.
 

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#2 ·
Exige:
For us mere mortals with out body work 225/45/15 Front wheels (or 16s if you have Kodiaks) is the way to go! I have not had any of the understeer that I suffered from during previous seasons. That being said, I'm also on better rubber now and have more experience. I'm not sure about the rear yet.
 
#6 ·
I think there needs to be a "class" component to this discussion, if you're talking about auto-x. Let's assume SCCA auto-x classing rules for the sake of this discussion.

Here's my opinion for a Super Street Elise:

Wheels
15x6.5 or 16x6.5 +24 front wheels
17x7.5 rear wheels with offset as close to +44 as you can get without rubbing holes in your wheel liners. This will take some tuning.

Maximizing the front track width and minimizing the rear will cause less weight transfer up front and more weight transfer in the rear, increasing front grip relative to rear grip.

Tires
205/50/15 or 205/45/16 front tires
245/40/17 rear tires

You can fit a 225/45/15 on 6.5" wide wheels. They are pinched and I think you're in the region of diminishing returns. 225/45/15 BFG Rival S tires were only 1/8" wider in section width than 205/50/15 RE71Rs. I have a set of 205/50/15 Rival S tires I will be trying out against my fresh set of RE71Rs for a better back-to-back comparison.

With the 245/40/17 rear, top speed in 2nd gear is 64 mph (confirmed many times by GPS data). This is a pretty good speed for street-tired auto-x cars with < 200 whp.
 
#7 ·
I don't think there is consensus opinion on what is "best". That's always going to depend on setup and preference.
And Not all tires are created equal at any given stamped width (see thread on Hoosier A6 vs A7). If you're sticking with street tires it probably depends on what sizes are available; the RE71R for example doesn't come in a useful 15" for the front.

Check out the BWR bogarts and Team Dynamics 1.2 they carry also; both in 15x8 and 17x9. They were running 225 and 245 width RS3s on them. (Though I don't see why you can't run a 245 on an 8" rear - the 9" may be stretching a 245). They don't advertise the offsets on the Bogarts, but the TD1.2s are in their site.

The serious SSM competitors are running 275s or more on 10 and 11" wheels I think - they can chime in here - but with cut clams obviously.

Subscribed for the discussion though, as I'll be looking to upgrade my rolling stock this off-season as well hopefully.
 
#13 ·
It would be hard to stuff a 15x9 under the front fender. What are the offsets we are talking about here? Im sure a 17x9 would fit great depending on the offset. the 15x8 on 949 racing site has a +36 offset which is pretty high. You would need to run some pretty good spacers. I would like to see more wheels with a - offset. I think a 15x9 with a low offset would probably fit.
 
#14 ·
#20 ·
I have the touring pack, so I have the skinny front wheels. For anyone with standard wheel sizes and standard body, standard offset, I love this setup, which I just reordered from tire rack and have sitting in my garage. Its my every day drive for 9 years:

front: Dunlop Direzzia Start Spec II 205/50R16
rear: Dunlop Direzzia Start Spec II 225/45R17

Its a sticky and large a front as you can get on these wheels.
 
#24 ·
I found a few old threads during my search referencing 949Racing's 6UL 15x8 for the front, as well as the Enkei PF01 for the front, both of which are really nice lightweight wheels, but neither have a great rear option. Or you could pull a Turbophil move and run 15s all around.
Supposedly 949 was working on a rear fitment for the Elige, but it's been radio silence from them for a while so this may not be coming anytime soon.
 
#33 ·
I was on all seasons when i got the car.

I just put on RE-71R in 205/45/16 and 245/40-17 on LSS wheels Track pack suspension properly setup.

It is great! What a tremendous difference, the car was a whole different animal. I really like them and it made this car a whole level better car.
 
#34 ·
Tires do a lot for performance, when I bought my car I had all seasons in the rear and R888's in the front. Since then I have swapped out to RS3's in the front and A048's in the rear. Dont ask why I mixed up tire brands but its done me well at Auto-x. Top novice almost every week. Gonna run classes next season.
 
#37 ·
#39 ·
On Goodwin's site go to the 2016 Miata (ND) and look at wheels, you'll see the pre-order options. Due out pretty soon. The Avanti's are sold on TireRack as well for the 15s, not the 17s yet but I assume they eventually will be.
 
#42 ·
I'm also assuming these wont be hub-centric from the factory for the lotus, so centering rings may be nice too. Last time I needed spacers, I had custom ones machined that were hubcentric and wheelcentric which were bad@$$; would probably do that again. anyone know the hub size for our cars?
 
#51 ·
#49 ·
I've went so far as using washers for spacers. I at least measured them to make sure each lug was spaced the same and ran like that for a few events as a temporary solution. I now have enough spacer on my rears where even hubcentric wheels such as ethos don't touch the hub to center and have did a good bit of Autox laps and street driving as such without any drama. The bogarts I use are lugcentric anyway. I think the hubcentric stuff is an unnecessary concern. As far as I can tell the hub ultimately serves no purpose as far as weight support, that is done by friction from the wheel to the spacers to the hub bearing and requires proper lug torque, and is not necessary for centering the wheel either. If you dont have studs it makes mounting the wheel easier, thats about it. Ymmv
 
#50 ·
I've used washers too! Not an approach I would recommend due to common thickness variability... but if you measure everything, it can work in a pinch.

I think the hubcentric stuff is an unnecessary concern. As far as I can tell the hub ultimately serves no purpose as far as weight support, that is done by friction from the wheel to the spacers to the hub bearing and requires proper lug torque, and is not necessary for centering the wheel either. If you dont have studs it makes mounting the wheel easier, thats about it. Ymmv
Agreed.
 
#54 ·
So I will toss this in there...where my experience is less than other in AutoX, we had some really good success with this setup?

Team Dynamic 1.2s
15x8 +30 offset - 245/45/15 Fronts - Hankook RS-3 V2
17x9 +38 offset - 255/40/17 Rears - Hankook RS-3 V2


Largest wheel I have stuffed under factory body work:
Front 17x9 +38 offset - Tire size option: 225/35/17 (there are more options in a different size, but I had that all calculated out last year when I was looking at wheel/tire options). Yes I did test fit this wheel on the front of the lotus, and YES it does fit...very nicely. Tire options are limited...and that is the only issue with it.
 
#55 ·
Those wheels are great. The issue is the tires for me, the RS3v2 is so much slower than the RE71R in my experience and judging from National's results, others agree. But you could easily use those with the 205/245 RE71R combo which is exactly what I would do if running street tires.
 
#57 ·
Agreed, the RS-3s are not the best tires out there...but for the budget i had at the time, they fit the bill very well. I bought them used from a friend, and I have absolutely ZERO complaints as they destroyed the handling of my Z2s and they could withstand dual drivers. :)

However I would make the switch as well to the RE71R as well since they are "the tire to have." Budget...it won't matter for me this next year...probably won't be racing the car next year as I am about to tear it apart and actually do my SSM build. :D That thread to come.
 
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